Million in gold found in safe, who owns it.

[philip964]

http://m.click2houston.com/news/rare-va ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm confused. Police took gold, returned to executor.

One commentor blamed locksmith for calling police.

Dick Degurin now involved.

[Dave2]

Seems to me like the executor gave up rights to the safe's contents when he gave away the safe to be destroyed, but maybe that's just my inner treasure hunter talking.

[MasterOfNone]

It may be an issue of the executor having not properly handled the estate. Perhaps the will left "my precious" to someone, in which case that person would have a legal claim to it. Now the executor can dispose of it in accordance with the will.

[WildBill]

It may be an issue of the executor having not properly handled the estate. Perhaps the will left "my precious" to someone, in which case that person would have a legal claim to it. Now the executor can dispose of it in accordance with the will.

First of all, kudos to the locksmith. IANAL, but I believe the estate is owner of the safe and its contents, not the executor.
I do not know and don't care to speculate how Dick Degurin became involved, unless it has to do something will millions of dollars.

[jimlongley]

Honesty, obviously, is its own reward.

[Blindref757]

What is right is right...The executor should have the contents of the safe, and he should reward the man graciously for his help.

[WildBill]

What is right is right...The executor should have the contents of the safe, and he should reward the man graciously for his help.

I agree with "what is right is right", but the executor has a duty to dispose of the property of the deceased as stated in the will and ordered by the probate court.
If the will leaves the executor the contents of the safe then she should get the contents. I have not seen the will I don't know what it said. I also don't know the agreement, if any, she had with the locksmith.

[WildBill]

Seems to me like the executor gave up rights to the safe's contents when he gave away the safe to be destroyed, but maybe that's just my inner treasure hunter talking.

If it wasn't her property, she didn't have any right to give it away.

[JALLEN]

Seems to me like the executor gave up rights to the safe's contents when he gave away the safe to be destroyed, but maybe that's just my inner treasure hunter talking.

If it wasn't her property, she didn't have any right to give it away.

An executor stand in the place of the deceased, to dispose of the deceased's property as directed by the will, under supervision of the probate court.

It sounds like, according to the story, that the coins have been returned to the executor, likely after suitable arrangements to defray expenses of the locksmith and the man handling the disposal.

My take is that opening the safe ought to be been the duty and responsibility of the executor whose charge is to round up all the assets, pay the debts and usually last expenses and distribute the remaining assets per the will, all under the court's supervision. The executor apparently failed to take care of her responsibilities, and is lucky things went the way they apparently have.

If that is true, then we won't have an opportunity to get into the fine details of who said and did exactly what, in the lawsuit the executor would have to bring to recover the contents of the safe.